Game apparatus



June 7, 1927. 1,631,558

A. J. STEVENS GAME APPARATUS Filed Jan. 2; 1926 FIGA;

" fifty.

Patented .lune 7, 1927.

ALE-BEP TMES- STFENSJPF .LONPQN ON'lARzIQ, CANADA Gann arrAnA'rUsi l Application filed January This invention relates to games and is particularly kkdirected to a game, adapted. to 'be played by` two persons.

rlhe object ofthe invention is to provideA Therinvention 'is i lustrated'in the accompanyi'ng drawings inv Which-.-

Figuiell isi a plan view ofthe boardaillustratin'g onev arrangement of the` play areas Figure 2 is' asimilarvi'ew illustrating. another arrangement of the play areas;

Figure is a similarsview illustratinga third arrangement of thel play areas.;`

Figure l illustrates one of-feachfofftwo sets.

lay markers ;A igure is a sectional, planl View of the board .illustrating another arrangement of y.play areas;

Figures 6, 7 and 8 are sectionalplan views of the boardjillustrating still other arrange ments of the play areas.y

The board; ris ldivided and separating areas c1. The play' 'areas and separating areas .have Icharacteristic shapes or vcolor,`\vhereby they may be readily distinguished. In Figuresv l and -2 the` play'areas `are octagonal-'Withsquare sepa# ratin Vareas,preferably of. dillerent color. In Figure l the board Ais substantially longer than itis Wide", While/in' Figure Q'itfissubstantially square.l In k*Figure 3 both playv areas and 'sepa-rating? areas are upright squares. As illustrated in Figure 5 the play areas are diagonal squares with rounded corners While in Figure 6 they are circles, in Figure 7 octagons and in Figure 8 hexa` gons, with separating areas as illustrated in each case. It is preferable to make the play areas in the form of octagons, diagonal squares with rounded corners, circles or hexagons, as such vforms require a smaller board than do the upright squares of Figure 3.

lVhile any number of play areas may be used, the minimum number is preferably thirty-two as illustrated in Figure 3. Figure l shows sixty play areas and Figure 2 The letters of the alphabet are arranged into play areas Eli,

z, 192er .seri-iai Neef/18,998.

on ,the playVa-reas, onedetter lOndeach area.

preferably yinztwo positions3 nyerted 'with respect to eachother for the; convenience ,ofr

the players.

EL distinctive marlr gli of any* desired' character ishplaced: upon; the; Aplay-L areas on whichthevowelsare placejdi'sogthat their Vlocatio1u.rnay lbe more readilyseen bye.

Instead of thev lettersgoli-:the-g alphabet any. other. chaiacters,numeralsi or4 the players.

specialy 'marks may `be placed v upon thel play areas, or La `combination of charactersmay 1 into; two,v equal; parts-y by the linehcllf-,cllf and;

Iinr'Figure l rthe board;v isshotyngdivided the lettera; numerals and fback-spacer vare j arrangedf'in theorder. in which they appear.'

onv the keyboard ,of the typewriter.l Byfexf, tending. the board the, remaining numerals .and marlzsyinay.- be addedandeeach. givenVy a special. significance in the. game.

CII

The board is preferably provldediwitha hinge. or flexible; port-ion, about lwhich it may bei. foldedas indicated; by rt-,wan

Figures L; Q'and'B., Instead' ofthe markers' illustrated 41n Fig-nre lgtwo setsI ofpush pin-s of differentcolor or shapemayfbe us'ed.4l

illustrated in F iguregS, 4what has-been termed a spacer bar, may'`V be arranged and; di-v vided into areas ,oirzivhich` themarkers may beplaced, preparatory to. startingthe play.

.The game is. played: Y as follows.:-

rlhe board is placedl betiif'een the two players,so. that. the letters,l jor other characters are in their upright positionfwithlv respectto.` each player. Ef' the ,spac'erl barA shown in "Figure 8 is used, the markers ofl each vare placedy 'in the areason. these. Zones.A It `the spacer bar4 isy not gused, the-@markers are placed on..thefirstrowI of pljayzareas The number of markers used by each player is determined by the size and arrangement of the board. For the arrangement shown in Figure l twelve markers are used by-,eachA player',V one being placed on each play area of the iirst row and two beingretained forl doubling as hereafter described.

Each player moves alternately from one play area to an adjoining play area, With'- kout crossing a separating area, endeavouring in each move to place his marker on a play area, the letter of Which will combine with the letters on areas already covered by his markers to make Words. As many Words as possible are formed after each move andv a score is recorded for each Word.y If the markers Vare first placed on the first roWof yai roo

play areas, the letters thereon are preferably not counted in scoring. The usek of the -space`r bar thus permits the use of the Vfirst row of play areas and increases the right or left if the play areas are vacant. When a player has entered his opponents first row of play areas, he scores and doubles his marker by placing a second marker on it. A double marker may be moved backward or forward. When an oplV ponents single or double marker is met and there is a vacant play area next it, in the c direction of play, the player may pass over his opponents marker, removing it and a scoring at the same time. Similarly if there l is a succession of opponents markers alternating with vacant play areas, in the direction of play, each such marker may be passed over and removed with a corresponding score. It a player fails to take advantage of an opportunity of passing over his opponents marker and scoring, his opponent may remove his marker and score.

When an opponents markers are on the players haltl of the board, the player may use his opponents letters to make words but may not touch his markers. It the back Spacer is used and a player moves to his own area, so marked, he should lose one point, while if he moves to his opponents area, so marked, he should win, say, live points. Similarly if other marks, such as a comma, period, question-mark, etc., are

used, a player moving hi's marker on to such an area may lose a turn, score, or lose one or more points,

As an'illustration Vof the way in which the score maybe calculated the following is given. For each word formed one point, a

vjump five points, an opponents failure to jump five points, a marker doubled, von a letter, ten points, or if numeralsr are used and a marker is doubled on ar numeral, its number of points may be counted, on occupying opponents back spacer five points, on occupying players back spacer deduct one point.

The score given. is for illustration only, as any desired number of points may be given for each word formed or other successful play. Moreover, it will be apparent that interesting variations may be made in the game by the use of the various additional marks referred to and that the inventionl is not limited to the particular details of let-y tering or marks placed upon the play areas.

I claim:

l. A game device comprising aboard, the 'face of which is divided into a series of play areas alternating with separating areas, the respective areas having distinguishing characteristics and being so placed as to present the same arrangement from either side of the board, and two sets of distinguishable markers adapted to be placed upon said play areas, said play areas having thereon two sets of characters which comprise the letters of the alphabet, the play areas on which the vowels are. placed having characteristics to readily distinguish them from other play areas.

2. A game device comprising a board, the face oi' which is divided into a series of play areas alternating with separating areas, the respective areas having distinguishing characteristics and being so placed as to present the same arrangement from either side of the board. and two sets of distinguishable markers adapted to be placed upon said play areas,'said play areas having thereon two sets of characters which comprise the charactersusually placed upon a typewriter and arranged in substantially the same order,

each character other than a letter of the alphabet having a special significance in the playing of the game as herein described.

ALFRED J STEVENS. 

